Reply To: CIDP friendly neurologist in Orlando

September 18, 2013 at 2:24 am

I think it would be nearly impossible for anyone in this forum to differentiate between a ‘money making racket’ or good physician practices. Nor do we know how old her tests really are or how reputable the testing organization was.

I would not think that doctors in Orlando, who spent many years in med school at no insignificant cost, would be out to scam her. If they were, they wouldn’t be doctors for very long and the various websites that track doctor performance for the public would be all over it.

If she has a financial hardship due to lack of income, funds, insurance, etc. most doctors will work with patients and she should try negotiation to reduce fees and establish a payment plan. Maybe this would be a way of convincing the doctor to skip tests that are not that important to HIS diagnosis.

CIDP, if that is what she has, can be a changing disease that warrants retesting every so often … if for no other reason than trying to establish if she is better, worse, or the same. Nerve conduction studies may need to be made regularly to help determine the extent of myelin damage and help the doctor choose the best treatment plan for her.

CIDP comes in many different flavors and has several variants. Knowing exactly what she has is important to pick the best possible treatment plan. Perhaps her previous doctor was less experienced with the disease; and his diagnosis, based on incorrectly configured tests and/or incomplete interpretation of test results, has left her new doctors a bit in the dark about the accuracy of the diagnosis.